Developments relating to the production of nitric oxides based on the use of electrical discharge were carried out at the beginning of the present century before the invention of the well known Haber process. Fertilizers were produced based on the electric discharge at locations where inexpensive hydro-electric power was available.
The Birkeland and Eyde process constitutes an improvement on the earlier processes. Birkeland applied a magnetic field in order to stabilize the A.C. arc discharge.
U.S. Pat. No. 829,874, issued in 1906 relates to the production of forming nitrogen compounds, and the improvement of this invention is in the use of air enriched with oxygen which is introduced into the electric arc.
U.S. Pat. No. 873,891 patented in 1907 relates to the production of nitric acid or nitric oxide and the improvement of this invention is in the rapid quenching of the product coming from the arc.
U.S. Pat. No. 926,413, patented in 1909 relates to a process wherein atmospheric nitrogen is oxidized by passing compressed air in two opposite streams through an electrical arc.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,666,408, patented in 1971 relates to the production of nitrogen oxides by reacting a nitrogen plasma and an oxygen plasma.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,265 relates to the production of nitrogen oxides by establishing electric arcs between electrodes and the earth, forming the desired products from oxygen and nitrogen in the air.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,897, patented in 1977 relates to a device for the production of nitrogen fertilizers for home use. It is based on the use of an electric arc discharge which ionizes oxygen and nitrogen, which products are injected into water used for application to plants.
None of the known processes make use of seeding material to substantially increase the efficiency of the process and none provide a truly mobile system which makes possible the production of the fertilizers at any desired location.
About 1910 the Haber process was developed for the production of ammonia. This process is based on the use of air, water and fossile fuel as energy and hydrogen source, and this process is effected at high pressures which require special apparatus.
Due to the substantially increased costs of fossile fuels, the process based on an electric discharge is of interest.